I am by no means an anthropologist. But as a narrative strategist, I make an effort to make sense of all the different concepts that make up our reality.
From the stories we tell, the language we use, the beliefs we hold and the behaviors we practice (intentionally or unintentionally), there is a deep desire to try and linearly explain how everything works and influences each other. And I could argue that there's a hierarchy of relationships and interactions, but I prefer to think of our experience in terms of bubbles.
Bubbles that pop.
Bubbles that glob onto each other.
Bubbles that float away.
Bubbles that land.
Our stories are bubbles that start out as singular reflections, their sudsy roundness capturing our attention like little kids. But they are delicate. We can pop them if we so dare to. Or they land on top of other bubbles, morphing into something bigger than a singular shape, becoming gigantic and distracting.
The same can be said about beliefs, language, behaviors, and even culture. Although, I would argue that culture is a chorus of bubbles, rather than just a singlet.
If we think of our world in terms of bubbles, what could we do? Would we blow more bubbles? Pop some existing ones? Or simply play with what is in front of us?